What is antineoplastic chemotherapy?
Antineoplastic therapy is a drug used to treat cancer. The medication aims to kill cells that rapidly divide such as cancer cells. They may also kill cells in your body that replicate quickly, such as a cell in your hair follicles or skin cells.
There are different classifications of antineoplastic drugs, usually based on their method of action. They include:
Antitumor antibiotics
These medications work by changing the DNA inside the cancer cells to stop them from replicating. Proper caution is important when taking this medication. A high dose can affect the heart, so lifetime limits are usually imposed. The different types of cancer they are used to treat include:
- Breast cancer
- Lung cancer
- Colon cancer
- Lymphoma [4]
- Stomach cancer
- Ovarian cancer
- Squamous cell carcinoma [5]
- Melanoma [6]
- Soft tissue sarcoma
It is important to follow your doctor’s prescribed dosage for you, to avoid serious complications.
Alkylating and alkylating-like agents
This medication works by damaging the DNA of cancer cells to prevent replication. They are used for several types of cancer cells, such as breast cancer, leukemia, lung cancer, ovarian cancer, sarcoma, multiple myeloma, and Hodgkin’s disease.